3 Powerful Ways to Be Missional to Your Community This Easter

1. Start with One Thing

There are so many needs, both at home and around the world. Friends are grieving the loss of a loved one, residents in countries plagued with war are fearful and full of despair, and parents are anxious about how to make ends meet. It can be easy to get overwhelmed when there seem to be countless opportunities to help people.

First, we must accept that even if we have unlimited time and resources, we cannot meet all the needs of those around us, near or far. Instead, we can pray to the Lord, presenting our needs before our Heavenly Father. When we petition for our community, we battle on their behalf, fighting the best way we can, offering prayers to the One who knows and sees.

While you pray, ask that the Lord lay a specific person on your heart. Focus on helping that person, giving your energy to meet their needs.

Is there a widow in your church who has expressed an intense feeling of loneliness since the passing of her husband? Take time to sit with her, simply being present in her life.

 Has a young mom shared that she is struggling in her marriage and is contemplating divorce? Invite her and her kids over for dinner, offering a safe space for her to share. Take the opportunity to give her biblical encouragement, truth in love, not judgment.

Is there a new family that moved in across the street that openly shared they didn't want to learn about God and all your "Christian stuff?" Start with a smile from the mailbox, drop off cookies during the holidays, and keep the door open if they ever want to talk.

Sometimes, the Lord is gracious, and we can see our impact on people's lives. But, more often than not, we are the seed planters and the others will be waterers and, hopefully, harvesters someday. Let us cling to the truth that nothing is wasted in God's economy!

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Eva-Katalin

2. Open Your Home

In her book, The Gospel Comes with a House Key, Rosaria Butterfield shares the impact we can make on inviting people into our living spaces, "Let God use your home, apartment, dorm room, front yard, community gymnasium, or garden for the purpose of making strangers into neighbors and neighbors into family. Because that is the point—building the church and living like a family, the family of God." It's not about the venue, the size of your living quarters, if you serve food from a take-out box, or prepare a five-course meal; it's the willingness to share with others what the Lord has given you.

When we invite people into our homes, we ultimately ask them to be a part of our lives. In a world that is more "connected" virtually but disconnected physically, setting aside to fellowship with others speaks volumes. Yes, it might be comfortable at first, both physically if space is limited and emotionally, if your guests come from different backgrounds, hold opposing political beliefs, or there's a language barrier. But that's the power of the Gospel—it unites! People from every tribe and every nation will be in Heaven (Revelation 7:9), so let's start by coming together on this side of eternity.

3. Focus on Relationships, Not Conversations

For those of us who grew up in church, sometimes, in our excitement to bring people to the Lord, we are more consumed with the numbers than the people behind the statistics. There's nothing wrong with keeping a record of baptism or making notes of new members in our churches; praise be the Lord! But, we must remember that our effectiveness in ministry is not simply determined by the number of people we lead to Christ.

Suppose you experience the opportunity to share the Gospel and then see the fruit of the conversation played out by someone who accepts Christ, Allejuiah! But, for most of us, we will extend the invite to church, share the good news, and show Jesus's love countless times to those in our communities without seeing any earthly results. We have to keep an eternal perspective, not allowing the numbers ( both positive and negative) to discourage us from living lives to the glory of the Lord. It is the responsibility of the believer to go and tell, but God opens the hearts and minds to receive Christ.

The door to presenting the Gospel will likely start by meeting a physical need and building a relationship. It could be sitting with the loner at the lunch table, inviting the single mom to the playground, or asking your co-worker to grab coffee. People matter to God; by investing in their lives, we also show the world that they matter to us.

With Easter Sunday just a few weeks away, a perfect opportunity is available to invite people to church. But, even if they don't accept your invitation, don't give up. Every Sunday, every day really, is an opportunity to share the Gospel, extend grace and mercy, and show the love of Christ.

Laura Bailey is a Bible teacher who challenges and encourages women to dive deep in the Scriptures, shift from an earthly to an eternal mindset, and filter life through the lens of God’s Word.  She is the author of Beyond the Noise, and loves any opportunity to speak and teach women of all ages. She is a wife and momma to three young girls. Connect with her on her website,  www.LauraRBailey.com, Facebook and Instagram.